Customer Reviews

Hard Stick [VHS]

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The real life hero, Buford Pusser has been portrayed by Joe Don Baker, Bo Svenson, and the great Brian Dennehy, who gives the best performance in this wonderful made for TV movie. I highly recommend it, even to those who haven't even heard of Buford Pusser because Dennehy gives a performance that is not to be missed. Plus the action is top notch. A wonderful movie starring the wonderful Brian Dennehy.

This made for TV movie has the look of a series pilot, a series did come out soon after, but filmed in Cailifornia. This film was made on the same locations as the Walking Tall films and has much of the same feel. The story is fictional but is inspired by Buford Pusser's unconventional law enforcement activities. Brian Dennehy is more big than tall but he does exibit the compassion vs. rage of Sheriff Pusser as well as his ability to use the law as well as work outside it to do his job.

During Pusser's carreer his most deadly foes were Louise Hathcock and Carl White, who both owned dives on the Tn/Miss stateline. In Walking Tall Pusser dealt with a fictional version of Hathcock- called Callie. In this film his foe is Danny Boy played Ken Howard. Danny Boy seems be be a fictional, but somewhat more likeable version of White, who was a lieutenant in the so-called Dixie Mafia. Both White and Danny Boy run bars that are busted up by Pusser and both White/Danny Boy hire killers to ambush Pusser on the hiway. In real/reel life Pusser, not bothering to to get a warrent, pays White/Danny boy a visit and gives an unauthorized butt kicking.

Dispite being made for TV this film has plenty and believable violence. It is also fast moving. Don Williams provides a good song, actually another verse of the Johnny Mathis song, written by Don black that was featured in 1973's Walking Tall. In many ways this is the true Walking Tall II.

Burly Brian Dennehy, despite his failure to maintain the local dialectic condiment in his speech, nonetheless makes for a believable physical personification of the real life Buford Pusser of Selmer, Tennessee, the sheriff who finds it easier to follow his own rules while contending with the local criminal element than to abide by the constraints of probable cause. This particular entry in the series relating of Pusser's deeds was made for television with its original title being "Letter of the Law", and chronicles how Buford decides to use very old county laws and statutes which have not been revoked or superseded in order to keep control of his office against the opposition of well meaning citizens and of lawbreakers. The script is actually rather leisurely in spirit with a number of scenes written in the main to supply local colour, including some humourous and musical moments, and there is some opportunity for character development, but the film's mass media lineage has infected its climactic minutes, with formulaic actions abounding as Pusser singlehandedly attempts to vanquish a surfeit of felons. Ken Howard dominates his scenes as bootlegging Danny Boy Mitchell, primary adversary of the freewheeling sheriff, while Sheree North gives us an effective turn as an aging ex-harlot freshly released from prison after seven years for killing her procurer, and who subsequently meets resistance from local bluenoses who wish for her to go elsewhere, and Forrest Tucker produces a smooth performance as Buford's father, but Lane Bradbury as a blemished sheriff's office employee, sinks 'neath the freight of her mawkish lines.

This movie started out an an episode of "Dukes of Hazzard" with the police chasing an orange vehicle, only this was a Vols van full of drunk teenagers. It leads Sheriff Burford Pusser and two of his deputies on a chase around the curby narrow roads of McNairy County, Tennessee. When finally stopped, they found two boys dead and two girls blinded by poison liquor they bought at Danny's bar in Selmer. It was home-brewed rotgut moonshine. Buford carreid a big stick which he used to destroy their cache of bottles of spirits, and was disliked by his Gestapo tactics. He believed in using a violent manner of taking the law in his own hands, by destroying a private business. They called it vigalante justice with an illegal search. Buford, it's said, has no common sense and goes off half-cocked. His motivation was in question as he appeared not to respect the law.

He was pushed into using crazy old laws to show them the importance of obeying the law, such as arresting all the old ladies playing bingo because it was illegal gambling they had been doing for twenty years. He alienating Danny, owner of the bar, in front of a crowd, destroying his personal belongings to humiliate him, using an obsolete law of 1907. He ticketed the judge's car because of the law stating that between 1888 and 1906, all motor vehicles are horseless carriages. Danny had a vendetta against the sheriff: "I started this and am going to finish it."

The holier-than-thou church women tried to force Buford to do something about an ex-con female who had returned to her homeplace. "I was born here -- no other place to go," she told Buford. She had been spurned at the church and the grocery store, so Buford stepped in and took her to the community dance.

After Buford had confronted Danny, his enemy, both involved in a brutal beating, he almost drowned Danny by kicking him off the bridge into shallow water. The sherrif walked into the trap Danny set for him and was shot, but his self-preservation aided in his living to be ambushed again, proving his courage. And studpidity. They had good vocal coaches, as they everyone had an authentic Tennessee accent, something hard to do if you don't live here.

The song Don Williams sang at the beginning and end of this real story sounded like one of the Appalachian ballads they sang at t he Bristol Sessions and in the Mountains of East Tennessee.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen; not to mention trying to compare to Walking Tall Trilogy. Calls itself " the film that inspired Walking Tall ". Not even acknowledged at the museum that Buford's daughter has set up. Paid 2 cents for this and feel I overpaid.

Here's the TV-movie version of the Buford Pusser story. Although it is not nearly as gripping as the theatrical film "Walking Tall" (starring Joe Don Baker), it is definitely a cut above the awful sequels with Bo Svenson. Brian Dennehy, as usual, delivers a solid performance, and his fans will enjoy it. It's not a great film, but not bad, either. It's definitely worth a look, just for Dennehy's performance.

Didn't touch the big hit of Walking Tall but it was nice to see Brian when he was young

Good movie on Buford Pusser. It's betteer than the last "Walking Tall" that was made a couple of years ago.
The cast was good and the movie was well worth watching.
Brian Dennehy was a good Buford Pusser and well followed in the tradition of Joe Don Baker and Bo Svenson.

As someone who hasn't seen the original ''Walking Tall'' [I have seen the 2004 version that starred The Rock, That wasn't too good], I picked this movie up, Being that it was about Buford Pusser and because it was so cheap. But, After i watched this movie, I didn't feel like i would wanna watch this whole movie again. Tenessee sheriff Buford Pusser [Played here by Brian Dennehy] Goes up against a former friend who's responsible for the mayhem that's going on in his town. And, Buford also tries to help a freed prostitute, Who's now persecuted for her past, get a new start in her life. This movie was definitely not what i had hoped it would be. Being that ''Walking Tall'' was an action film, I was hoping this would be an action film. Instead, This is more of a drama [Which doesn't have to be a bad thing]. Most of the acting isn't that good, But the good performance of Brian Dennehy as Buford Pusser is really the only thing to wanna even watch this film for. The movie's too slow moving at times and it seems kinda dated. But, After all, This movie is from the 70s, So what do you expect? This Tv movie, In my opinion, Doesn't do enough justice to Buford Pusser. I will now be trying to buy the original ''Walking Tall'' to see if that movie will be the movie about Buford Pusser that i'll actually like. This movie's probably good for fans of old 1970s cop shows. I will admit that the few action scenes that are in this movie are pretty good. Well, I guess this is another case of the i-get-what-i-paid-for routine. Hope this review helped. You be blessed.

As a Buford Pusser "Walking Tall" fan I was certainly disappointed with this TV film of the Tennessee hero. As a movie fan, this ranks as one of the worst veiwing experiences of my life.